Hair frizz is described by consumers as the appearance of unruly fibers at the top of the scalp and tips of hair as well as an increased volume through the bulk of the hair. Generally they see this frizz on days when there is humid weather and the level of moisture in the air is high. The appearance of frizz is undesired and it is often associated with a loss of shine and smoothness. The appearance of frizz and loss of shine and smoothness are associated with a perception of poor hair health. The basic mechanism causing frizz in high humid environments is that at high humidity water penetrates into hair and changes the chemical bond interactions inside the hair. During styling, the consumer will create a ‘wet set’ where hair is blow dried or flat ironed to create the desired shape. During drying, water is evaporated from hair and hydrogen bonds are formed between the protein peptide chains holding the style in place. As moisture diffuses into hair the hydrogen bonds are broken and hair returns back to its natural shape. For consumers who straighten their hair by blow drying or flat ironing this return to a curled style is associated with a loss of alignment and increased volume. In addition, at high moisture levels in hair the fiber diameter increases which also increases the overall volume of hair.
The typical strategy to prevent frizz is to formulate leave-on and other hair care products with surface-depositing materials such as silicone, oils, conditioning silicone etc. which make hair more hydrophobic and decrease inter-fiber interactions. At high levels these materials can also provide increased cohesive forces holding fibers together to prevent frizz from occurring. With these materials depositing on the hair surface a greasy look and feel is typically experienced, which is an undesired trade-off of frizz reduction.
Consequently, a need exists for treatments that combine effective frizz control with additional hair benefits that the consumer can notice and feel and, at the same time, is delightful to use without having a sticky or greasy feel.